Established 1961 Sport SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2019 Amir’s eighth International Uruguay’s Indian cricketers Ethiopia’s Tefera breaks 25Shooting Grand Prix concludes 26 searching for permanent home 27 Guerrouj’s 1500m indoor record Kuzma leads Team USA past Team World Kyle scores game-high 35 points, named MVP of the game CHARLOTTE: Kyle Kuzma #0 of the US Team receives the MVP award after the 2019 Mtn Dew ICE Rising Stars Game on Friday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.— AFP CHARLOTTE: Offense ruled the day and Team USA do that again,” Kuzma said. play for the World made it a two-possession game with game’s first free throw with 2:30 left in the third quarter won the Rising Stars game over Team World, 161-144, His teammates were impressed. “He definitely 6:17 to go. The breakneck, video-game pace might to complete the and-1 play. Friday night at Spectrum Center in the opening compe- showed out tonight. Without his 35 we probably lose,” have been blinding for basketball purists, with a Only one serious defensive challenge at the rim was tition of All-Star Weekend. Lakers guard Kyle Kuzma Hawks guard Trae Young said. The annual exhibition turntable active for all 40 minutes and a modest level of made and it was an emphatic rejection by Brooklyn was named MVP of the game played at a dizzying game features players in their first and second seasons defense applied-even by All-Star Weekend standards. Nets forward Jarrett Allen of the US squad when Ben speed, the 24-second shot clock rarely ticking to 16 in the league. No free throws were attempted in the first half. Simmons attacked in the paint. before the ball went up. Team USA went up on the World team 132-121 with “As you can see, not much defense, guys just want to Team USA led 83-71 at halftime, shooting 62.1 per- Kuzma scored a game-high 35 points and had 7:35 left on Young’s second 3-pointer in as many pos- get up and play,” World guard Ben Simmons said. “It’s cent from the field. “It’s tough in these types of games six rebounds, while Celtics forward Jayson Tatum sessions, and Knicks rookie Kevin Knox flushed a two- good to get out there and just get up and down with and environments to manage how to have fun and com- added 30 for Team USA. Kuzma was 15 of 27 from handed jam off a Young behind-the-back dish 13 sec- guys you don’t normally go up and down with.” pete,” Young said, noting Team USA was driven to snap the field in 22 minutes. “I played in this game last onds later to build a 134-121 edge. Simmons led the World with 28 points, hitting 14 of a two-game losing streak to Team World. Kuzma and year and was really lackadaisical. I didn’t want to Timberwolves forward Josh Okogie’s three-point his 17 shots. Jazz forward Donovan Mitchell made the Tatum combined for 39 points in the first half. — Reuters Shiffrin wins (2009) and Andrea Mead Lawrence (1952). BIG MISTAKE Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova, who beat Shiffrin to gold in fourth successive the giant slalom, was a full second back in third place. “When I crossed the finish I couldn’t believe that I had a chance of a medal because I took risks and made world slalom gold mistakes,” Vlhova, Slovakia’s first Alpine skiing world champion, said. Swiss Wendy Holdener, who had clocked the fastest ARE: American Mikaela Shiffrin became the first Alpine time in a rain-hit first leg, saw her chances of a third skier to win the same event at four successive world gold medal vanish as she made a big mistake early in championships with a thrilling victory in the slalom yes- the last run of the day. Austria’s Katharina Liensberger terday. Shiffrin, 23, was only third after the first run but was fourth, meaning the Alpine powerhouse nation produced an electrifying second leg to claim victory by ended the championships without a medal from the 0.58 seconds from Swede Anna Swenn Larsson. women’s races for the first time since 1982. She ended the championships with two golds, having Rain, poor visibility and a rutted course proved too won the Super-G, and a bronze from the giant slalom. much for most of the skiers in the morning run, leaving Her victory was all the more impressive as she said she the battle for gold between the fastest six who were had been battling a lung infection and “run out of oxy- separated by only 0.56 seconds heading into the deci- gen” towards the end of her surge for victory. sive action. “It was tough to breathe without coughing, I was With the sun finally making an appearance, slalom just fighting to stay in the course, it was tough today,” queen Shiffrin found the perfect rhythm as she powered she said. “My skiing, especially in the second run was through the gates, hardly putting a ski out of place. ARE: (L to R) Second placed Sweden’s Anna Swenn Larsson, winner US’ Mikaela Shiffrin and third placed really good, I was pushing really hard.” When she crossed the line more than a second clear of Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova celebrate during the flower ceremony of the women’s slalom event at the 2019 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships at the National Arena in Are, Sweden, yesterday.— AFP Shiffrin joins Belgian-born German Christl Cranz, Vlhova she looked completely spent, laying in the snow who dominated skiing in the 1930s, as the only to catch her breath before climbing to her feet to watch Alpine skier to have won a specific event at four the last two runs. crossed the line with a medal guaranteed, even if it was gate early in her run and slipped down to 17th overall. world championships. Shiffrin’s victory made her Larsson’s advantage quickly disappeared on the split not the gold she craved. Austria have one more chance to claim a gold medal only the third American woman to win two golds at times but the Swede, roared on by the home crowd, It was left to Holdener, bidding for a third gold from from the championships when Marcel Hirscher starts as the same world championships, after Lindsey Vonn held her run together and celebrated wildly as she the championships, to deny Shiffrin, but she missed a favourite in the men’s slalom race today. — Reuters.